‘I was going to ask you how you finance all these explorations, your salary will not last two weeks’
A friend said that to me and it’s the inspiration for the post.
I’ll let you in on a little secret! Yes tourism can be expensive, BUT there are quite a number of tourist attractions in Nigeria that charge N1000 ($5, 5 EUR or 3GBP) or less. Yes you read right, and I’ll share some of those places with you.
While that excludes transport, accommodation and feeding, I have a couple of tips that could help with that aspect.
1. Plan ahead – Before you go anywhere, research on the place (we’re here to help with that). Find out how much it’ll cost you, where it is, how you’ll get there, will you be sleeping over etc.
2. Transport – Now this is totally up to to you. Decide how you will get there, and this applies to both out of town and ‘in town’ trips. (Public transport, private car, by air etc). On my recent trip outside Lagos, I went with friends so we split the cost. We all chipped in for things like fuel and other things that came up along the way. This ended up costing less than if we had gone individually.
3. Food – Decide if you will be eating where you’re going, or taking snacks/food from home. Of course this also depends on where you will be visiting as some places do not allow food from outside. Also look for alternatives around the site where you can eat that caters to your pockets.
Fast food is also an option for cheap food. It’s not the healthiest option but it also doesn’t break the bank.
4. Budget!! – This is important because you’ll have a clear idea of how much you want to spend and work with. This helps because when you know how much you have for a visit, you wont be distracted by other purchases. Be smart with your money.
5. Accommodation – Decide if its important to you to stay in a 5 star hotel or a regular hotel. There are hotels which do not cost a lot but still offer great services. Also if you can find someone that you trust who stays in the area you’re visiting, that cuts out accommodation fees. Some places outside your state of residence could also be day trips, this will just require you leaving your home very early.
Below in no particular order, you can find a few places I have visited that cost me N1000 or less.
1. Freedom Park.
If you’ve read my review on it, then you’ll know that it costs N200 per person (About a dollar and less than a pound/Euro). There’s no time limit on how long you can stay so that’s a steal.
2. Art Galleries
I have visited the Nike Art Gallery (Lagos & Osogbo) & the Nimbus art gallery, and there is no entry free. You go in appreciate the art works and leave. And both have restaurants attached to them that you can eat at. #gallery-2750-7 { margin: auto; } #gallery-2750-7 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-2750-7 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-2750-7 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
3. Olumo Rock.
This is the rock that God molded and it can found in Ogun State. On my visit we were told it costs N700 ($3/EURO & 2GBP) if you’re climbing, and if you don’t want to climb the rock but just wander around its premises it costs N300 (A dollar/EURO). There’s a parking fee of N200. So depending on which option you choose, you’re not spending more than N1000.
4. The Alake of Egba land’s Palace.
This was free. We got to walk in and take a look around. A very nice man even offered to tell us about the sculptures we saw there. Please be sure to be respectful and obey the rules that apply.
5. Osun Grove
Entering this sacred forest cost N100, and you get a tour guide along with that. You get to hear the stories behind the forest and the goddess, and also see the River Osun. That is a bargain. To take pictures cost N1,000 and that’s optional.
Osun Grove
That’s 5 places that you can go to (out of the many that I haven’t been to yet), and not have to leave broke. Like I said, plan, plan, plan!!! If you have any questions, get in touch please. :). And always remember, you don’t need to be rich to be a tourist.
* Please note that these prices do not include souvenir costs, transport, accommodation and feeding as stated earlier.